Name: Ambra Mason
Nickname: Brah, Sweetness, Squeak
Position: Defensive Tackle and Right/Left Guard
Contact for Media Inquiry
Height: 5ft 3in; Weight: 250lbs
Age: 32
Birthday: 1/13/1986
Birthplace: Grand Rapids, MI
College: North Carolina Central University (NCCU); Durham, NC
Experience: 3yrs
High School: Ottawa Hills High School; Grand Rapids, MI
Occupation: Record Review Quality Assurance Analyst (2 years)
Favorite Sports Teams: Carolina Panthers, Pittsburg Steelers, and NCCU
Hobbies: Tennis, Traveling, Watching sports
Passions: Football and helping people
College Sports Played: NCCU Women’s Tennis
How you got into football: Googled Women’s Tackle Football in West Michigan and stumbled across the West Michigan Mayhem. Went to the tryouts and the rest is history!! I always loved football growing up. I could never play with my brothers, so once I found out it was a women’s league, I jumped at the opportunity.
Family: William and Deneen (parents); Billy, Ashley, Aaron, Dasharay, Ashton (brothers); Shirley (sister); Daizheer, Davohn, Darius (nephews); Diamond (niece)
Pets: Two feisty rat terriers: Aspyn and Princess and some Fish
Two Truths and a LIE!
— I am left handed!
— I am afraid of flying!
— I was a DII and DI collegiate athlete
Follow Her on Social Media!
Instagram profile: @squeaks_08
Facebook profile: Ambra Mason
Snapchat: @squeaks_90
In Her Own Words:
Growing up I was a very shy, quiet kid and I used to get teased about how “squeaky” my voice was. I would just shut down and never talked to anybody and kept to myself. My family was always there for me when I came home from a bad day at school. My parents always kept me involved in something during the summer months. When I was around 7, my parents signed me up for tennis lessons. I took to tennis very well. I loved it and wanted to be the next Venus and Serena Williams. I worked really hard to perfect my craft. I went on to play in High School and earned a partial scholarship to play in college. During my collegiate career, I was named MVP during my senior year.
Upon graduating, I started working for a pre-college program called Upward Bound. I was a mentor to many high school students around the Grand Rapids area. I helped them get prepared for post-secondary education. My favorite thing was seeing my students evolve from immature kids, to mature young adults and watching them succeed and reach the goals that they’ve set for themselves. And knowing that I had a part in that growth is pretty awesome.
In 2016, my contract wasn’t renewed, so I found myself unemployed, upset, broke, and lost!!! Those students were my life and now they were gone. I didn’t know what to do with myself. One night I was watching the TV show “Pretty Strong” and after the show went off, I googled women’s football and that’s how I discovered the West Michigan Mayhem.
Playing football kept my mind off of everyday life problems for a few hour hours of the week. It was my personal escape, no one (outside of my family and close friends) really knew what I was truly dealing with. If it wasn’t for my Faith in God, family, friends and football I honestly don’t know where I would be today. My teammates (past and current) are now like my second family. I love all of them. You never know what affect you have on someone, so make sure it’s a positive one. They got me through some pretty tough times without even knowing it. I’m so thankful I am able to finally play the sport that I love because I get so much joy out of it.
I am enjoying playing with the Grand Rapids Tidal Waves in this inaugural season. We are a young, hungry group that is ready to take any challenge thrown our way.
My hope is that we continue to grow this sport, so girls all over have chance to play freely. We are paving the way for them and they shouldn’t have to “pay to play.” My hope is that the next generation of girls finally gets the respect as football players, we all so rightfully deserve.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We must accept finite disappointments, but never lose infinite hope.” I will never give up hope, and you shouldn’t either!!!
